Becoming Who You Were Meant to Be

Life is funny.  You get dealt a certain set of cards when you are born, and the cards change throughout your life.  Some of the changes are your fault, some are just happenstance.  What you do with your hand throughout your life determines who you are.

One of my former students is going to be graduating soon from college.  I've known this student (we'll call him Nate ;oP) since he was in the sixth grade.  I was his first band director...I taught him before I took a year off to take care of Courtnie. He was a super shy kid who just wanted to play the drums.  Before I started teaching at BMHS, I would go to the football games and see him playing on the drumline his freshmen year.  It was neat to see that he was still playing and having a great time.

When I was offered the position at BMHS, I was excited to work with him again.  I was also able to learn a lot more about him.  He was raised by a single mom and never knew his dad.  His mom had addiction problems when he was a child, and I'm sure he never had any money.  His older sister is now dealing with the same addiction problems.

It would have been easy for him to use all of the above as an excuse, but he never did.  I never heard him complain about his upbringing or his difficulties.  He worked so hard to overcome everything.  He was the drumline captain his junior and senior years and set the bar for other students to try to reach.  He worked bagging groceries so he could buy a "beater" car to get around in.  He would ask to stay and practice after I'd left for the evening.  (I think he actually slept in the band room, but I'll never know for sure.)

He's been studying music education at NAU for the past four years.  He volunteers to come to BMHS to help out with the drumline and marching band as much as he is able.  He has arranged the drumline and pit music for our marching show for the past two years, and has done and amazing job.  He's composing music for different groups at NAU, and has come to appreciate and understand music in a way that is totally new. It has been so rewarding to me to see him grow into an exceptional musician and teacher.  I'm grateful that I was able to have a small part in his life.  I am 100% positive that he will be successful in whatever he decides he wants to be.

The hand of cards we're dealt don't have to determine who we will become.  We have the power to ask the "dealer" for new cards, and we can decide how we want to play the cards.  As long as we stay in the game and keep working with those cards, we'll be the ones to determine the outcome.

I'm grateful for people like Nate who have taught me this lesson so well.